A samba that starts with a guitar riff and becomes a manifesto against competitive masculinity: “Sem Macho Alfa” is the debut single from Macho Beta Orchestra, the new project led by Gionni Dall’Orto, Florentine musician and former live bassist for Articolo 31 in the 1990s. The track arrived on 3rd April via WalrusRec.

Dall’Orto wrote the lyrics and co-composed the music with Gil Badaró and Giorgio Cencetti, who records as DJ Farrapo. Badaró, a Brazilian artist based in Italy, sings the lead vocal and improvised the refrain “joga a bola” during the session. Ricardo da Silva plays whistle and percussion, Nicoletta Zuccheri adds backing vocals, and Dall’Orto handles keyboards, guitars and other voices. DJ Farrapo created the rhythm track, co-arranged the single and mixed it. The recording took place between Florence and Bologna, with Giovanni Versari, Grammy Award winner known for his work with Muse, mastering the track.

The track opens with Dall’Orto’s guitar riff, then settles into samba rhythm with whistle, hand percussion, programmed beat and call-and-response vocals. DJ Farrapo’s electronic production brings a 1970s and 1980s disco influence into the Brazilian rhythm structure. Dall’Orto describes it as “a thoroughly ye-ye song” and frames it as a response to what he sees as a resurgence of machismo and the cult of the superman. The lyrics play with the voice of a woman who wants an alpha male, answered by a collective voice that refuses competition. “Joga a bola” becomes the song’s key phrase. In Dall’Orto’s words, the message is simple: do not keep the ball to yourself, play it. Later the song states “onde há só paixão, não há competição” – where there is only passion, there is no competition.

“Sem Macho Alfa” introduces Macho Beta Orchestra’s debut album, due 5th May. The fully animated video by Dall’Orto was released today.

Stream the track and get your copy of the single HERE